Hervey Bay

And No Whale Watching!

Between April and November each year, both the western and eastern coastlines of Australia come alive with the spectacular, and often very acrobatic, displays of Humpback Whales.  Leaving the freezing Antarctic waters behind, they migrate north to warmer sub-tropical waters to mate and give birth to the next generation.

Along Australia’s east coast, during their annual migration, a journey of up to 10,000 kilometres (6,213.1 miles), the humpbacks attract thousands of visitors to coastal towns such as Eden, Byron Bay, and Hervey Bay.  This is one of the longest migrations in the animal kingdom and pods start to arrive at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef around the middle of June.  They continue to move further north, along the Great Barrier Reef, where they concentrate in the southern Whitsundays area.

Each year, during their southern migration, thousands of these majestic animals rest in the sheltered waters of Hervey Bay, it’s where they come to play and socialise, where mothers come to nurture their young, where they stop to rebuild their energy before undertaking the remainder of their long journey back to Antarctica.

The humpback whales have done this for so long they are known to be calm and relaxed in the company of the whale watching vessels, offering one of the world’s closest whale watching experiences and making Hervey Bay one of Queensland’s best-loved holiday destinations.

Sadly, as close as I got to one of these magnificent creatures was the whale sculpture in front of the Fraser Coast Discover Sphere.

But that’s ok.  I did think it was sad we arrived when we did and missed the spectacle.  Whale watching in Hervey Bay was an item on our To Do List so we promised ourselves we’ll come back for another holiday just to see them enjoying the bay.

We also said we would spend time on the World Heritage Listed Fraser Island, clearly visible from the beach and within easy reach.  Unfortunately doing so proved to be logistically impossible and we’ve also promised we’ll return to go camping on the island.  Hopefully, both will happen in the not too distant future.

Thoughts on Location No 104

Hervey Bay, Wide Bay Burnett, Queensland

We stayed at the Scarness Beachfront Caravan Park, that was (funnily enough) right on the beachfront overlooking the bay.  It was rather disconcerting to walk along the beach on the east coast of Australia knowing that beach faced north.  It made or some very interesting photos.  I missed a sunrise shot due to all the cloud and rain we experienced, but the sunset was amazing.

See Photo of the Week for another amazing photo of the setting sun.